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Roethlisberger: 'My arm feels really, really good'

Joe Sargent / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Thursday that his "arm feels really, really good" following the team's first practice of training camp.

Roethlisberger spent last offseason working back from season-ending elbow surgery, which he admitted led to issues with his arm strength as the campaign wore on.

"This time last year, I had thrown thousands of footballs trying to get ready for this," Roethlisberger said, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "This year, this was the first time I've thrown a ball since minicamp, other than throwing to my son in the backyard. It just feels more normal of an offseason."

The signal-caller added that he feels "fresher" than he did this time last year.

Roethlisberger could be entering the final season of his storied career. The 39-year-old took a $5-million pay cut to return for the final year of his current contract after Pittsburgh expressed concern about the quarterback's then-NFL-high cap hit of $41.25 million.

He performed well over the first half of last season, throwing 2,267 yards and 22 touchdowns against four interceptions in the opening nine games of the year.

However, the veteran appeared to struggle physically down the stretch. Roethlisberger had 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the last seven games, with four of the turnovers coming during Pittsburgh's home playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.

In order to revitalize the offense, Pittsburgh promoted quarterbacks coach Matt Canada to offensive coordinator.

Canada will cater more heavily to Roethlisberger's vision, saying recently that he will do "what Ben wants to do and how Ben wants to do it."

However, Roethlisberger admitted he's still coming to grips with the team's new system in camp.

"If you notice, I'm looking at the wristband quite a bit," Roethlisberger said. "We all are. All of the quarterbacks are trying to look at it and figure it out.

"New isn't always bad, new is new."

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